Im Interview mit uns dem Frontstage Magazine teilt Chuck Robertson, Sänger der renommierten Band Mad Caddies, seine Gedanken und Einblicke hinter der Entstehung ihres neuesten Albums „Arrows Room 117“ welches heute erschienen ist. Robertson gibt einen tiefen Einblick in die Inspirationen, den kreativen Prozess und die persönliche Bedeutung der Songs. Er spricht auch über die Zusammenarbeit mit neuen Plattenlabels, die künstlerische Entwicklung der Band und die Botschaft, die sie mit ihrem Album vermitteln möchten.
Frontstage Magazine: Dear Mad Caddies, what was the main inspiration behind the creation of „Arrows Room 117“ and how does it differ from your previous releases?
Chuck: Hello there! The album is the culmination of the last three years of songs I put together since 2020 when we all know what happened. In spring of 2020 I went back into the woodshed for a couple years composing over 100 songs. I recorded two solo albums under the name, Chuck Robertson and friends, releasing all out of dreams in 2021. The second solo album will be out later this year. Then came time for the new Mad Caddies record when touring was a possibility again. This album is very personal to me. it is the first time that I wrote and produced the entire album.
Frontstage Magazine: What significance does the album title hold for you as a band, and how do the themes resonate in the songs?
Chuck: The album title and cover are very personal. I wrote the title track to the album Arrows in a motel room in Northern California where I stay when I go visit my son who lives in Lake Tahoe. I always stay in room 117 it has a nice balcony overlooking a redwood tree. One night on a FaceTime call with my girlfriend I was just noodling around on the guitar and she was like oh that’s a cool riff. The song was born that night, and the lyrics became about living in a small town. The album cover theme represents my journey the last few years traveling from the central coast of California all the way up to Lake Tahoe to visit my son. These songs represent the last three years of emotions that I think a lot of people can relate to . The ups, the downs, the joy, the pain and resolution.
Frontstage Magazine: How was the creative process during the recording of this album, especially given the unusual global circumstances of the past few years?
Chuck: Well, as I mentioned above, I went back into the woodshed three years ago. This was a brand new process for me having all this time off of playing live shows and touring. I found some friends that wanted to jam out early in 2020 and we just treated it as kind of a job and showed up every day five days a week and would play for 3 to 5 hours and then a couple times a month we were fortunate enough to play live outside in our small town for free in the park or at peoples houses. I look back on these times very fondly, and I found us to be very fortunate where we lived in California to be able to do this knowing what other people had to go through living elsewhere. So when it came time to record the new Mad Caddies record, we were well rehearsed and knocked it out in three weeks.
Frontstage Magazine: Could you tell us a bit about the collaboration with SBÄM Records and 55 Rose Records and how this partnership contributed to the creation of the album?
Chuck: After almost 30 years onbFat Wreck Chords we decided to try something new. They have been so good to us over the years and they will always be family. Fat Mike always told us if we ever wanted to go somewhere else or try anything. It was totally cool so we just felt like it was time.
Frontstage Magazine: Are there specific tracks on „Arrows Room 117“ that hold special meaning for you personally or that you believe convey a unique message?
Chuck: The whole record is very personal for me but tracks like Green Eyes I wrote for my girlfriend about falling in love, and our travels together. Darkness was one I composed late in 2020 that really speaks from the soul about pain and loss. And then there is Run, I think a lot of people will be able to relate to this as it was the song about what we don’t talk about. Just sitting on the porch, wondering what happened to my life and where did all my friends go I think a lot of us felt that way back then.
Frontstage Magazine: How would you describe the musical style and artistic evolution of the Mad Caddies since your last album, „Punk Rocksteady“?
Chuck: It was a natural evolution of continuation of what Mad Caddies have always tried to do, which is never make the same record, but hold onto our traditional values and styles, while trying to break new boundaries and find new genres.
Frontstage Magazine: What message or emotions do you hope listeners will take away from „Arrows Room 117,“ and how do you envision the album enriching their listening experience?
Chuck: This album is straight from the heart, and I think people will resonate with that or at least I hope they will!
Thank you so much
Cheers, peace, love and respect
Chuck Robertson
Fotocredit: Offizielles Pressefoto
